Her Morning Elegance
by Pied Piper
Summary: In which Mimi has an epiphany that leaves Taichi very…uncomfortable.


**Her Morning Elegance**

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In which Mimi has an epiphany that leaves Taichi very…uncomfortable. AU

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That was the day she came up with the Plan.

The Plan was without a doubt the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard come out those pouty, red lips. However, he couldn't exactly make judgments without thinking about the context. So he thought about it.

Mimi was a desirable woman who couldn't make up her mind about what she herself desired. She had a fairy-tale imagination in which her life was one grand adventure after another, so there was always something new going on in that frightening mind of hers. It was usually best not to question the logic of her latest endeavor, but just wait for it to pass, hopefully towards a more logical scheme. But this new proposal of hers was almost beyond his patience.

"I don't know what to say," was all he could manage when she'd finally asked him to respond after a fifteen-minute explanation.

Mimi was not deterred. "I've been thinking about it for a long time, now," she said earnestly. "And I really feel good about it, Taichi."

He just looked at her blankly over a coffee cup, his third that morning. "And how did you come up with this?"

"I'm getting old…er," she said, "older." He could see how painful it was for her to admit it. Nonetheless, she persevered. "What I mean is, I know this is what I want and I think I'm finally at the point in my life where it would be perfectly appropriate for me to make this kind of decision. I have a wonderful career that makes good pay, I have a nice home in a safe area. And I want this. I could be a great mother. Don't you think I'd make a good mother?"

"Of course," he said because he really did think so, "but it's not…traditional, is it?"

Mimi looked astonished, eyes wide. "You of all people want to talk to me about what's traditional? Taichi, you're probably the most forward-thinking person I know!"

He set down his coffee cup, avoiding her eyes as he said, "Well, this is about you. Honestly, Mimi, how well did you actually think this one out?"

And that was when she narrowed her eyes, sitting back in her chair. "If you have something to say, Taichi, just say it."

Refusing to play the villain to her angel, he simply explained it matter-of-factly. "Your biological clock can tick for years—and moreover, you're asking a lot of someone else. It might just be an anonymous donor to you, Mimi, but to your child, it would mean a whole half of himself he's never going to know. Do you really want that?"

Mimi was quiet for a minute, staring at her lap. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her gray wool skirt, fingering the loose thread at the hem. He waited for her to speak, then sat back in his chair and reached for his coffee again, wondering if he'd been too harsh. She was hopelessly ideological at times, and it was his chosen role to bring her back down to reality every now and then, but sometimes she came crashing back too sharply and this time he hadn't done a terrific job of making the landing soft. But he'd also never been that apologetic of a person, so he waited for her to say something before attempting to salvage the situation.

He didn't have to wait long.

"That's why I wanted to ask you," she said very, very quietly.

"Ask me what?"

She bent her head lower, determined to avoid his chocolate brown eyes as she muttered nearly straight down into her white blouse, "If you would be the donor."

He choked, spitting scalding hot coffee all over the table. Everyone was staring at them and she slid low in her seat as he gasped in shock, "W-Wh-_What_?"

"It wouldn't take much—it'll be a couple teaspoons at the most," she pleaded.

"Mimi!" he exclaimed, unable to coherently sputter out anything else.

She winced. "Oh, please don't overreact."

"Overreact! Mimi, this is _not_ the kind of thing you ask of someone over coffee!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just asking you for a favor."

"A favor? _That's_ what you think this is?"

"Yes, Taichi," she said heatedly, "this is a _favor_, from one friend to another. Aren't we friends? Can't I trust you to be there for me?"

He was flustered, unbelievably so, and it made him uncomfortable just thinking about—about—well, about procreation with…_Mimi_.

She seemed to catch on to his expressions. "We wouldn't sleep together," she added quickly. "I mean—it would just be a donation, at a clinic. I talked to one already, and it's not even that long of a process." She hesitated, "Well, that's not true. Some men take longer than others, but it's really just a personal issue when it comes to—,"

"I know what it comes to," he interrupted quickly. "I'm quite aware of the process."

"Oh," she said awkwardly and he panicked again.

"No, that not what I—never mind, never mind." He stopped himself in a big huff. Rubbing his knees anxiously, he added, "I don't…I don't know. It's a lot to ask for, Mimi. I just—I want to support you but I don't think I can do that."

The minute the words left his mouth he knew he could have approached it better. Hers was a glass face, of course, and the only way she could avoid letting people see exactly how she'd been affected by their words was to avoid looking at them altogether. She wouldn't look him in the eye after that, and he proceeded to explain himself:

"Listen, it's just not what I—I mean, I'm flattered that y—that you think so highly of my genetic material—but I'm not…I'm not ready for children. Not now, and I know this might be hard to believe, but when I am, I want it to be with my wife."

Mimi wrinkled her nose, a perfectly arched eyebrow almost reaching up to her hairline. "You mean like how it worked so well the first time?"

Taichi was silent, humor and sympathy lost. "That was uncalled for."

"I'm simply pointing out that with your track record, you probably should reconsider your traditionalist views on family," Mimi sniped back.

He stood up quickly, knees knocking into the table and causing her cup of coffee to quiver dangerously. Alarmed, she grabbed the cup and saucer, glaring up at him. He was far from apologetic this time however. "For future reference, it's probably not best to insult people whose favor you want." With that, he threw a few bills onto the table and marched angrily from the patio onto the sidewalk.

Mimi quickly added her own portion of money to complete the bill and grabbed her purse, scrambling after him. She hated how her stupid temper and big mouth always bested her. And always at the worst times. "Taichi! Tai, wait, I'm sorry!" She caught up with him, slightly out of breath, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. "Please, I'm sorry."

He refused to look at her but he stopped anyway. "It was out of line."

"I know, I know, and I apologize." She sighed and shook her head, "I was just frustrated and disappointed because—well, it doesn't matter why, I shouldn't have said that." She smiled a little. "Okay?"

He glanced at her briefly. Try as he might, though, he couldn't stay mad at those twinkling hazel eyes. "Are you actually sorry or are you just making another ploy for my sperm?"

Her smile widened. "You know me best of all, Tai. You tell me."

With that, he took her face in his hands, a gentle gesture that made the butterflies in her stomach flip, even after all these years. He studied her intently, the mischievous smirk in his brown eyes belying his seriousness.

"I think," he began slowly, "that you are crazy. I think that you are unbearable and stubborn, but that that isn't your fault."

"Oh, I know," she said.

Taichi rolled her eyes, letting go of her. "But you have to accept why I can't say yes."

She nodded, looking at her feet.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Mimi nodded again. Her voice trembled slightly, but she was optimistic nonetheless. "Yes. I have other options, you know." A slender finger poked him in the chest teasingly. "Your genetic material isn't the only kind out there."

Taichi smiled. "And there are other options, too."

Mimi agreed. "I think I just…I've felt so alone, you know? I hate coming home to an empty apartment," she confessed very softly.

Taichi frowned a little. "Then," he hesitated, "do you think this is more about filling a void than about having children?"

She didn't say anything for a minute, staring intently at her shoes again. She started to shrug, then stopped, then suddenly punched him in the shoulder with half-hearted violence. He grabbed her hand as she started to draw away, instinctively bringing her into his chest for a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her hair.

"Oh, I'll be fine," she said with a shaky laugh, voice muffled into his shirt. "I can't believe you still know me so well."

"I remember a lot of things," he admitted quietly.

"Good things?"

"I remember the things that tell me that if and when you decide to have children, Mimi, you will be amazing at it. And I remember the things that tell me you need to think about this some more." He touched her check affectionately. "Because if there is something that you feel that's missing, Mi, four-in-the-morning feedings are just going to be distractions."

Mimi nodded.

"I have to go now," Taichi said. "Will you call me later?"

"Yes," she agreed. "And I'll think about what you said. Maybe," she hesitated, "maybe you're right."

"You know, I waited fifteen years to hear you say that."

"Was it worth it?" she laughed, feeling the disappointment ebb slightly in his encouraging presence.

He didn't answer right away, staring at her with an expression she couldn't quite recognize. Then he shrugged. "I'll let you know."

They walked in silence to the metro station on the next corner block. He didn't know if he'd said the right things, but he felt confident he'd handled it as best he could, and that she understood that. More importantly, she had accepted it. He did, however, wonder at how much he didn't know about her. She still managed to surprise him, even to this day, yet there were times when he worried about her because of these revelations. Loneliness and emptiness were emotions he'd succumbed to before, still endured, at times. He hated the thought that she dealt with them as well, without anyone to help her. Well, not anyone.

He would be there, and always.

Suddenly, right outside the station's entrance, he stopped. She only took a few paces forward before realizing he was no longer beside her, and turned around. Her look was puzzled. "Taichi, are you okay?"

"It wasn't your fault, Mimi. What happened with us, I mean."

Her eyes widened slightly at the unexpected outburst. "I…."

"And as 'traditionalist' as you think I am," he said, "you should know that if I ever do get married again, she's going to have a hard act to follow."

Her eyes softened.

She held out a hand and he came forward, fingers entwining. "I'm going to have a hard time finding someone good enough to fill your shoes, too, Tai."

"Really?"

"Of course," she smiled, eyes twinkling again. Then she shrugged, "I mean, that's the kind of character and personality I would have liked to pass onto to a child, but I guess I could just settle with never having you out of my life, even for a second."

Taichi grinned. "And you won't."

She hugged him tightly. "Call me before your flight."

"I will."

They separated, and Taichi descended a few steps on the stairs. He stopped and turned back to wave, and she waved back. He should have said it then, but it still stuck in his throat, for some reason or another. He didn't have to though, because when he turned back around to continue down the stairs, he nearly toppled from the impact of a small body colliding into his back in a fierce embrace.

"I love you, Tai." She kissed the back of his neck. "Thank you."

"Mimi—," he started to say, beginning to turn around, but she had already quickly let go and hurried off. He only caught a small glimpse of her slender form as she disappeared around the corner and out of his gaze.

He smiled, shaking his head. She'd made a wonderful mother one day, a crazy ex-wife today, but always one of his best friends, for better or worse, 'til death do they part.


End file.
